Electoral Reform Commission (ERC) Chief Dr Badiul Alam Majumder on Thursday said they are reviewing the irregularities reported during the last three general elections held in 2014, 2018 and 2024 to recommend punishment for the responsible persons.
“We’re reviewing election offences in the last three elections so that such things do not occur anymore in future,” he said.
Dr Majumder made the remark while talking to reporters at a views-exchange meeting with editors and senior journalists of print and online media at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the city, reports UNB.
In reply to a question, he said there would be recommendations in their report for punishing those who were responsible for election irregularities in the last three national elections.
About the outcomes of the interactions, Dr Majumder said the journalists placed a number of suggestions, including restoration of caretaker government, arrangement of the rotation-based direct election to the reserve seats of parliament, increasing the number of reserve seats to 100 from existing 50 ones, arrangement of local body elections before the general election.
Emerging from the meeting, senior journalist Golam Mortoza told reporters that he proposed the reform commission to sit with the last three chief election commissioners to know as to why they arranged such bad and voterless elections, and who directed them to do so.
He also asked the reform commission to recommend punishment for those who were responsible for irregularities in the last three national elections.
The previous three CECs are Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, KM Nurul Huda and Kazi Habibul Awal.
Noted journalist Sohrab Hassan said the state should bear the costs of election campaigns in a bid to stop the use of money in elections.
Journalist Masud Kamal said he proposed restoration of the caretaker government system, holding local government elections also under the caretaker government, and preparation of national identity cards-based electoral rolls.
In the afternoon, the reform commission sat in another views-exchange meeting with election observers.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
